


Kitchen Fire

by AlphaShae, shaetil (AlphaShae)



Category: One Piece
Genre: Complete, Drama, Fire, Fluff, Gen, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-17
Updated: 2015-06-17
Packaged: 2018-04-04 22:02:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4154646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlphaShae/pseuds/AlphaShae, https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlphaShae/pseuds/shaetil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zeff is awoken early one morning by smoke. Where is his little eggplant?!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kitchen Fire

When Zeff smelled smoke he knew deep in his gut that something was terribly wrong. Without pausing to think, he threw off his covers and hobbled out of his room for as fast as possible; still in only his pajamas. The smoke drifting in wisps up the stairs was growing thicker by the second, and fear had his hands shaking as he stumbled down to his restaurant. The hazy cloud didn't have the rich, spicy sent of wood smoke from the restaurant's traditional-style brick pizza oven - this smoke smelled sharp and acrid, and just dangerous.

"SANJI!" Dark grey smoke was building into a thick fog in the dining room; streaming out from around the kitchen doors. He couldn't see anything in the kitchen through the windows in the doors. It was completely obscured by dark smoke. "SANJI!" Panic sent him running as fast as his prosthetic leg would allow across the dining room. Why hadn't the goddamn fire alarm gone off? Or the sprinkler system?

Grabbing a chair as he barreled through the tables, Zeff flung open the kitchen doors and dropped the chair behind him to keep the doors open and allow the smoke out. The smoke choked him instantly, and his eyes watered as mucus began to drip from his nose. He pulled up his top over his nose to try and breathe in less of the smoke. He desperately tried to keep his eyes open as he stumbled deeper into the billowing cloud of smoke. "SANJI!"

A deep, barking cough nearby caught his ear and reaching out blindly he caught hold of a thin arm. He hauled the child into his arms and rushed back out into the dining room. Sanji's little body was racked by deep coughs, and he was crying silently as he clung to Zeff. He went straight out the front door and set the little eggplant down on the front step. He hadn't seen flames yet so there might also still be a chance to save his restaurant. He spotted a lady watching him with wide eyes and and coughed as he sharply waved her over. "Watch him! Call the paramedics!" He patted Sanji's blonde hair before gently pulling away from the small hands clinging to his leg. The lady was already pulling out her cellphone as she hurried over and he rushed back inside, leaving the front door wide open.

Leaving the kitchen doors open had caused the smoke to fill the dining room, and Zeff held his shirt up over his nose and mouth as he went for the fire extinguisher that he kept in the wait staffs' station. Hissing in pain as he ran into the corner of something he couldn't see, Zeff finally reached the wall that hid the supplies from the customers. He groped under the counter, knocking over a ton of shit that he'd worry about later and coughing hard as the burning in his lungs increased. He finally found the smooth, red canister and dragged it out - pulling out the pin with one hand as he ran back to where the smoke was thickest. He headed straight back to where the stoves were and his whole body began to tremble as he finally saw the dull, orange flicker of flames through the smoke. Aiming the fire extinguisher, he clutched the trigger on the top in a death grip and fought to think through his increasing panic as he choked and coughed.

The foam hissed and spat as is came into contact with the small fire, and Zeff flinched as hot liquid sprayed back at him. He didn't see anymore flames, but the smoke was still pouring out of what he could briefly make out was a tall pot. He had to get it out of the kitchen before it caught fire again…!

Dropping the fire extinguisher onto the prep counter at his side, he reached for where he knew he kept the rags and pot holders. Stuffing his hand into a thick oven mitt, Zeff snatched the smoking pot off the stovetop and rushed for the back door to the alley behind the kitchen. He fumbled a second with the lock - trying desperately to hold his breath, but his burning lungs had him coughing and wheezing in more bitter smoke against his will. He flung the door open with a bang and threw the contents of the pot into the cement alley as hard as he could. The smoking liquid in the pot splashed back at him, making him yelp in pain and cuss as the boiling hot substance hit his one bare foot. However, he stood there a moment despite the burning pain, watching where he'd flung the contents of the pot with wary eyes. No flames or smoke sprung from the dark stain on the ground so he flung the pot in his hand, hearing it clatter in the alley and turned to check his kitchen. The smoke was already thinning enough for him to be able to see the outlines of his equipment.

Satisfied that the danger had passed, Zeff limped heavily back out front through the alley - coughing hard and wiping his streaming nose on his shirtsleeve as he went. The paramedics were there and a firetruck was pulling up. Took the bastards long enough. A fireman rushed to his side and began to ask questions, but Zeff brushed him off as he continued on his way to the ambulance, "Grease fire. It's out."

The fireman left him as a paramedic took over, and he pushed away the hands trying to hold him still and make him sit, "Where's my son? Where's Sanji?"

They finally seemed to understand that he was stubborn enough to keep resisting until he say his boy was okay. Sanji was sitting on the bed in the back of the ambulance, his small face was covered by an oxygen mask as the female paramedic at his side instructed him to breathe slowly. Zeff's heart twinged as the eleven-year-old did his best, but his breathing kept being interrupted by harsh coughs. It hurt to listen to, and Zeff didn't waste anymore time before clambering into the ambulance and ignoring the protests of the paramedics as he sat on the bed and pulled Sanji into his arms.

The little blonde began to bawl into his shirt, dropping the oxygen mask and coughing as he tried to talk, "Sorry…! S… orr…!"

Zeff shushed him and just held him, coughing himself as he rocked the both of them soothingly. He didn't care how this had happened. They were safe, and so was their restaurant. They'd work everything else out later. Zeff finally allowed the paramedics to separate them and do their jobs.

It took a little over a week for his worst burns to completely heal and be forgotten, but Sanji never tried to fry donuts again.

**Author's Note:**

> I had to put out a small fire in my own kitchen the other day. It was scary! So of course I wrote about it.


End file.
